The writing was on the wall because Google has actively encouraged developers to update their apps to 64-bit versions. Most people thought that Google would first release a 64-bit only Android build with the much-awaited Pixel Tablet. However, the Pixel 7 series has become the first set of devices from the tech giant to drop 32-bit support.
Technically, the Pixel 7 series does not run a 64-bit only Android build, but, instead, Google is disabling 32-bit apps through a software flag that produces the following message when installing such an application; “App not installed as app isn’t compatible with your phone.”
The tech giant is probably using the error message as a test case to determine how developers and users would react to a pure 64-bit build. There are still some system libraries on the Pixel 7 that are still 32-bit, which means that Google could just deactivate the software flag, and the 32-bit Android apps would still run fine on the Pixel 7 series.
This change will hardly be noticeable for most users, as most apps nowadays have 64-bit versions. The Pixel 7 series, for instance, have been out for more than a week in the hands of hundreds of reviewers all over the world, and it is only now that they have realized there is no support for 32-bit apps.
Google made it a policy back in 2019 to have support for a 64-bit version of your app before you could upload it to the Play Store. Therefore, 99% of users should be unaffected by this change, except maybe for those enthusiasts who might still be holding on to a game from the early 2010s that has not been updated in over 8 years.
Once Google rolls out the 64-bit-only Android build, the company promises better performance and better security once all the 32-bit limitations have been done away with. Mishaal Rahman, Android expert and Senior Technical Editor at Esper, says one Google study showed a 5 to 10 % improvement in performance efficiency and lower RAM and storage requirements by shifting to a 64-bit-only Android build.
